Hundreds of Students on Case at Mock Trial
The man stood accused of tampering with a traffic sign, causing a wrong-way collision between a gas truck and a car that left three people dead.
His defense to three counts of manslaughter and other felony counts? That was up to high school students.
This was the scenario at the 17th annual mock trial competition Thursday at Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana, hosted by the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County. Hundreds of students acted as attorneys and witnesses.
Teams representing dozens of high schools spent months preparing for the trial, studying constitutional issues along the way. The winning team, Esperanza High School in Anaheim, will represent the county at the state championship in Sacramento.
Since 1981, the foundation has brought together more than 25,000 students to participate in the mock trial program, designed to give students understanding of the judicial system and to increase proficiency in research, critical thinking and communication skills.
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